


Neighbours

by reddiegays



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Ben and Bev ship it, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak Are Best Friends, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Flirting, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Jealous Richie Tozier, M/M, Neighbours AU, Richie Tozier Being an Asshole, Richie Tozier Flirts, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Sharing a Bed, and eddie hates it, eddie moves next door to richie, or does he though, richie is a bad neighbour at first but they soon catch the feelings, richie is a dj
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 12:56:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21410545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddiegays/pseuds/reddiegays
Summary: Fresh from his divorce, Eddie Kaspbrak moves in next door to minor celebrity Richie Tozier. At first, he's annoyed by his neighbour's constant partying until Richie makes him an offer he really doesn't want to refuse.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak
Comments: 18
Kudos: 330





	Neighbours

It was nothing special, your typical apartment for a well off divorcee in their early thirties. The neighbourhood was nice, not far from work and the rent was reasonable. Eddie wasn’t exactly a social butterfly but he was in no way rude to his new neighbours. He smiled and introduced himself to anyone who was interested. Eddie Kaspbrak, single, owns a successful limo company, divorced because he finally accepted he was gay. It had been a big couple of months.  
Two of his best friends, Bill Denbrough and Ben Hanscom, had helped him move into his new place, much to his relief; they had been extremely supportive throughout his struggle with his sexuality. They’d even returned to Eddie’s marital home, collecting his belongings from his ex-wife, Myra.

Two weeks had passed since that moment and he had settled in nicely. Ben and Bill dropped by as often as they could to keep him company, which he appreciated. He still didn’t really know anyone in his building; he was still yet to meet his next door neighbours. Mrs. Smith on the right was old and deaf, with only a cat for company. And the person to his left who he’d heard Mrs. Lake on the opposite side of the hall refer to as ‘Rowdy Richard’. Eddie didn’t figure out what that meant until his sixteenth day living there. Apparently ‘Rowdy Richard’ liked to throw a party or two. Unfortunately, he’d decided to throw such a party when Eddie was in no mood to tolerate it.

It had started at six in the evening, the volume moderate and acceptable; Eddie wasn’t going to ruin his fun for that. By ten at night his patience had worn thin; he liked Madonna as much as the next person but this was taking the piss. He quickly bookmarked his place in his thriller and prepared to face his tormentor, kicking off his comfortable fluffy slippers and throwing on a pair of jeans. He stepped outside his front door and immediately tripped over someone lying right in his doorway. Eddie turned to the either drunk or high party-goer and threw his arms in the air.

“What the fuck?” The guy just shrugged, his head flopping back onto his coat that was currently being used as a makeshift pillow. Eddie gritted his teeth, nearly having to shout over Material Girl, “excuse me? Who’s party is this?”

The drunk gestured towards the open door of his next door neighbour and Eddie sighed, stepping over piles of trash and questionable spillages. People littered the hallway and filled the astonishingly messy apartment, dancing wildly to the music; Eddie had never felt so out of place in his life. He spotted whom he assumed was the resident, a rather scruffy looking man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and glasses too large for his face. He was around Eddie’s age and currently engaged in a shot drinking contest with a pretty redhead, the two laughing maniacally. Rolling his eyes, Eddie approached the pair and tapped his neighbour’s shoulder.

“Do you live here?”

"Hey, neighbour,” the man grinned lazily, shoving a shot glass into Eddie’s hand much to the woman’s amusement, “nice of you to join us. What’s your poison?”

Eddie stared at the shot glass in confusion, “um, I’m not staying. I just-”

"Richie Tozier,” Richie thrust his hand out, gesturing with his other at the redhead, “this is Bevvie. She does clothes and shit.”

Bev smiled, offering Eddie a fistbump, “hey.”

Sighing, Eddie quickly shook his new neighbour’s hand before bumping fists with ‘Bevvie’, “Eddie Kaspbrak. now would you be so kind as to-”

"Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Richie said suddenly, throwing back a shot and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Eddie frowned.

"No. Can you please-”

"That’s it!” Richie snapped his fingers, leaning seductively against the table, “you’re the man of my dreams.”

Eddie blinked, not quite sure what to say to that; he glanced at Bev who was engrossed in her phone, clearly eavesdropping on her friend’s embarrassing attempt at flirting. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Eddie gritted his teeth.

“Turn the fucking music down, I’m trying to sleep!”

Richie scoffed, pouring yet more shots, “fuck off! We’re celebrating here. My show just hit two million listeners.” 

He smiled proudly as if it was supposed to mean something to Eddie. The shorter man just sighed, slamming his shot glass onto the table, “I don’t give a flying fuck! I’ve got four drivers out, I’m doing a double shift tomorrow and I need to be fully alert.”

Richie just laughed, watching as Eddie stormed away dramatically; he paused at the stereo to turn the volume down dramatically, flipping Richie off as he left. Richie’s guests groaned at the interruption but Richie was too busy watching after his new neighbour, a smirk on his face.  
  
“Totally gonna bang that guy,” he announced drunkenly, leaning against Bev for support. She had the audacity to laugh at him.

“Yeah and I’m gonna be president, Rich.”

She patted his shoulder sympathetically, staggering less than gracefully through to his bedroom. Richie sighed and dismissed the remaining party guests, thanking them for attending; he poured himself a glass of water and yawned, following after Bev into his bedroom with his gorgeous new neighbour still on his mind.

* * *

Eddie slept like a baby in the peace and quiet, grateful the noise hadn’t started up again once he’d silenced the party. He set about his morning routine, trying not to think about his obnoxious new neighbour. He had behaved like an ass now that he thought about it and his stomach twinged with guilt - not enough for him to apologise but it was something. It was very early in the morning and he was confident he would get out of the building without running into Richie; he still peered around his door silently, just in case. The mess from the previous night was still there and the previously inebriated man passed out in front of his door was gone. Breathing a sigh of relief, Eddie left for work.

He had a fairly uneventful day but he was exhausted and couldn’t wait to sink into a warm bath. He was more than a little pissed off when he reached his floor to find yet another one of Richie’s parties in full swing. There didn’t seem to be as many people as the night before but there was enough. How he hadn’t annoyed all the other occupants, he didn’t know. Eddie tried to squeeze through without being noticed - no such luck. Richie was leaning against the wall beside Eddie’s front door, as if he’d been waiting for him to return home. He was grinning smugly.

“Eddie Spaghetti!”

“Do you have a fucking party every night or something?” Eddie snapped, digging in his coat for his keys. At least the volume of the music was more respectable; he could barely hear LMFAO’s Shots over their talking.

“Yeah. If I have to listen to your vibrator every morning...”

Eddie dropped his keys rather dramatically, staring at Richie as if he’d grown an extra head, “what?”

“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know,” Richie was still grinning, not so subtly looking Eddie up and down. The shorter man suppressed a shudder at the attention, “your alarm goes off, you switch on your vibrator for like an hour and-”

"That’s my air purifier, you dumbass!” Eddie squeaked, his face burning red and, judging by the look on Richie’s face, he didn’t believe him. In fact, he snorted.

"Fucking air purifier,” when Eddie didn’t say anything else, Richie’s smile dropped and his eyebrows rose, “oh, shit, you’re serious...” he appeared to consider this information for a moment before shrugging, “I’ve jacked it to worse.”

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh at that, “wait, you jerked off to the sound of my air purifier thinking I was-” he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening comically as he stared at Richie. He swallowed, “oh good God…”

Neither said anything for a moment, both of them trying to process the bizarre turn their conversation had taken; Eddie had just met his neighbour yesterday and he’d told him he pleasured himself to one of his appliances. How do you move on from that? Apparently, Richie had no shame and flashed another smirk.

“I’ll make you a deal, Spaghetti Man,” Eddie rolled his eyes at the nickname but let him continue, “I’ll stop my partying.”

“Hallelujah,” Eddie breathed. He didn’t care what the catch was, he’d do anything not to have his nights disturbed anymore. Richie, though, wasn’t about to make it easy on him.

“If you come to one of them.”

“Fuck you,” Eddie deadpanned, folding his arms tightly. Over his dead fucking body. Having expected as much, Richie shrugged.

“Your funeral, dickwad. I don’t give a fuck...” he did, in fact, give all the fucks but he wasn’t about to let Eddie know that. He punched his arm playfully, “might end up getting your dick sucked. Lord knows you need it, bud.”

As he walked back to his party, the only thing Eddie could think of to retaliate with was, “my sex life is none of your business, asshole!”

He was suddenly very aware of several people staring at him and he quickly unlocked the door to his flat, hurrying inside before anyone else could talk to him.

* * *

“He told me he masturbated to the sound of my air purifier.” Bill, who had taken an unfortunate sip of coffee at Eddie’s statement, proceeded to spray it all over the table. Ben offered an apologetic smile to the table next to theirs, mopping up the mess with several napkins. Eddie was resting his head in his hands on the table, and he added matter-of-factly, “he thought I was getting myself off with a vibrator.”

"Eddie…please, TMI,” Bill pleaded, wiping down his front with a spare napkin.

“As first meetings go, it’ll be an interesting one to tell the grand kids,” Ben quipped, sipping at his coffee pointedly. Eddie lifted his head quickly, frowning at his friends.

“It’s not like that. He’s annoying and rude and...I don’t even like him. Shut up.”

Even Eddie wasn’t convinced by that pathetic speech. Sure enough, Ben and Bill shared a knowing glance, each of them trying not to smirk. Since his divorce, Eddie hadn’t dated another man before and it just seemed fitting his first interest was someone who irritated the shit out of him.

“What does he look like?”

Eddie lifted his head to see both Bill and Ben looking at him expectantly. Apparently, they were curious to find out just what type of man had caught his attention. He wasn’t about to give them any sort of satisfaction.

“A little bitch,” his friends chuckled but Eddie could tell they weren’t about to give up. Fuck it. He’d called them here for advice so he might as well tell them everything. He dropped his head into his hands, his voice slightly muffled, “he’s cute. In a dragged-through-a-needle-infested-dumpster kind of way,” he let out a pathetic groan, missing Bill and Ben rolling their eyes, “what should I do?”

"Suck his dick,” his friends said in unison. Eddie looked between them, wondering why on Earth he thought their advice would be good for him.

“I was thinking maybe I could move somewhere else.”

“Just go to the party, dude,” Bill said, finishing his coffee. He stood up, putting on his coat, “you never know, you might end up enjoying yourself.”

Eddie watched him leave, hating how Bill was always right. Eddie didn’t want to admit that he was worried about attending, getting drunk and coming onto his neighbour and humiliating himself. He turned to Ben for reassurance but he just shrugged; they were about to finish their coffees and pay when an all too painfully familiar voice came on the radio.

_“Do you guys believe in love at first sight? Yeah me neither but I came pretty close the other night,”_ Eddie’s heart nearly stopped and his face flooded with colour. He must’ve looked a sight because Ben was eyeing him curiously, wondering what the hell was the matter with him, _“I met my new neighbour for the first time and he’s, well, how can I describe him without embarrassing him...he’s pretty much sex on a stick.”_

Eddie fumbled with his wallet, dropping coins and notes everywhere. The cashier glared at him, giving a forced tight smile at his mumbled apologies. The next time he glanced at Ben, the man was grinning, having apparently figured out the cause of Eddie’s distress.

“Anyway, got a great list of tunes for you guys, but this one’s especially for you, Spaghetti,” the voice announced merrily and Eddie could picture the stupid smirk on Richie’s face. Eddie My Love by The Chordettes began playing and Eddie made a mental to kill his new neighbour.

They’d made it into the street when Ben finally gave up holding back his giggles, “you fancy Trashmouth? You’re living next door to fucking Trashmouth!”

"Shut up, Ben.”

* * *

The revelation that Eddie was living next door to a somewhat minor celebrity was the funniest thing Ben had ever heard and Eddie’s worst nightmare. Yeah, he’d told him he was celebrating two million listeners but Eddie had no idea what he meant. No wonder the asshole partied so much. He and Ben had plans to have a movie night at Eddie’s place but he made Ben swear not to say a word if they happened to bump into Richie. Which, of course, is exactly what they did.

As they reached the correct floor, the bane of Eddie’s existence had set up a decent sized table tennis table right between their two flats. Richie and Bev were currently engaged in a fierce game; she smiled apologetically when she spotted him. She knew well enough this was just another attempt at getting Eddie’s attention but knew better than to say anything. Eddie saw red and stormed towards them.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

"What the fuck does it look like short stuff?” Richie said, catching the ball as Bev returned his serve, “there’s no room in my apartment-”

“I don’t care, you can’t play that in the hallway!” He looked to Ben for support but his gaze was focused on the stunning redhead currently spinning her bat. Richie glanced between Eddie and Ben, a frown on his face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, does it annoy you?”

“Yes!”

Richie smirked, folding his arms petulantly, “good. Looks like you’ll have to do it at his place now. My fucking bad.”

Ben tore his eyes away from the smirking Beverly and was about to protest when Eddie snapped, “I need to get past!”

“Ed, it’s not worth it,” Ben said, tugging his friend’s arm. He could practically see steam coming from the shorter man’s ears, knowing he was close to throwing a full on bitch fit.

Richie served again to Beverly, avoiding looking at Eddie and the stupid not good looking at all man next to him. As the two of them squeezed past the table, Richie couldn’t help but try to put him off a bit.

“He keeps bees in the bedroom.”

Eddie stopped dead, looking at Richie as if he’d finally lost his mind, “what the fuck are you talking about?”

"I wouldn’t fuck someone who keeps bees but it’s your funeral, bud,” he addressed Ben directly. Bev was watching the exchange with amusement, already knowing how wrong Richie was. Still, she did nothing to stop him, “also he’s got an air purifier. Fucking weird, right?”

Ben wanted the Earth to swallow him whole and he nudged Eddie desperately. He didn’t want the pretty redhead to think for one second they were anything like a couple. Eddie blinked incredulously, finally understanding what Richie was getting at.

“Wha- Ben isn’t my date, you dumbass. He’s straight.” Ben smiled awkwardly at Bev, who yet again was resisting the urge to laugh. Ben attempted to shove Eddie the rest of the way to his flat but he refused to move. Instead, he smirked, pointing accusingly at Richie, “you weren’t jealous, were you?”

"You wish I was jealous, Spagedward,” Richie scoffed, slamming his table tennis bat onto the table. 

The two stared at each other in such a way that made both Ben and Bev uncomfortable. Sensing something was about to happen he really didn’t want to be around to witness, Ben cleared his throat.

“Hi, I’m Ben Hanscom. Wanna get out of here?” He offered his hand Beverly which she gratefully accepted, sighing in relief. He helped her pass Eddie and they set off down the hallway.

“I’m Beverly Marsh and you just saved my life, Ben Hanscom.”

Richie and Eddie watched them leave, unsure of quite what to say to each other. Eddie was still buzzing knowing that Richie was jealous of a potential one night stand and even going out of his way to try and prevent it. Maybe that was what gave him the confidence to blurt out what he did.

“I’ll be there,” Richie, who had been in the middle of folding away the table tennis table for want of something better to do, nearly dropped it on his feet. He looked up at Eddie with wide eyes, wanting to ask for clarification but finding himself unable to speak for the first time in his life. Eddie rolled his eyes, “your fucking party, dude. If you want me to go...I’ll be there.”

“Tonight too soon?”

Eddie don’t know why he laughed at that, “no. I suppose not. I don’t have work tomorrow.”

Overjoyed, Richie ran over and embraced him in a tight hug that took Eddie’s breath away. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Richie’s strong back, hoping he couldn’t feel how hard his heart was beating.

“You won’t regret it. I know you’ll have a great time. Do you want me to get you anything? Any particular drinks? I can make you a playlist...”

Eddie was suddenly struck by how much Richie actually _wanted_ him to go, to get to know him and have a good time. Maybe Richie wasn’t his annoying neighbour, they’d got off on the wrong foot and neither of them knew what to do with their feelings. He really wanted to start a friendship. His enthusiasm was incredibly endearing and Eddie separated them, planting a quick kiss on Richie’s cheek.

“Dude, relax. I’m only doing this to shut you up. You don’t have to try so hard.”

“Fuck you, you want to come.”

“I’m looking forward to the quiet nights, dipshit,” Eddie said with a dazzling smile, finally extracting himself from Richie’s very lovely arms, “see you later.”

Richie gazed after him like a smitten fool, immediately texting Bev after Eddie’s door swung shut behind him.

** _yeah, totally gonna marry him -R_ **

* * *

Since his party began, way earlier than usual so what if he was excited, Richie had been sitting in a chair facing the doorway, his leg bouncing in irritation at each new person that entered that wasn’t Eddie. Bev had tried to get him to loosen up, reassure him that Eddie would turn up. Sure enough, as if on cue, Eddie turned up in a suit that was way too extravagant for the type of do Richie was used to hosting. Still, he wasn’t about to complain, not when he looked like that. He ignored Bev and hurried over to his handsome guest at embarrassing speed.

“I can’t believe I’m here. This really isn’t my scene...”

“Don’t sweat it, Eds, I’m glad you are,” Eddie smiled genuinely, barely having time to savour it before Richie grabbed his hand and tugged him over to a group of people, “I want you to meet the coolest guy I know. Stanno, Stan the Man, Straight Stan-”

"Stanley Uris,” the curly man said, offering Eddie his hand. Clearly he was used to Richie’s stupid nicknames and Eddie smiled politely, shaking his hand, “nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

Again, he barely had to time to take in anything about Stan before Richie was hauling him over to another person to introduce. He was more than a little relieved to see it was Bev, leaning out of the window with a cigarette in her mouth.

“I’m just gonna get us some drinks,” he patted at Eddie’s shoulder, motioning to Bev and not to subtly adding, “talk me up, yeah? I’m trying to get laid.”

Eddie blushed stupidly, avoiding looking at Bev; Richie’s attention was nice but rather overwhelming. He was the first guy he’d ever felt something for. Bev, however, just rolled her eyes, flipping Richie off as he walked away. She offered Eddie a fond smile, stroking his arm supportively.

“You alright, there, bud.”

“Yeah. I think so. I’m just not used to...” he trailed off, quickly changing the subject, “so, um, you’ve known Richie a long time.”

Bev laughed, blowing smoke out of the open window, “too fucking long. I knew him when he made his first dick joke.”

“I’m sure his first words were a dick joke,” Beverly smiled, deciding she liked Eddie very much...although perhaps not as much as Richie. Eddie glanced around quickly, making sure they were alone before he added awkwardly, “does Richie flirt with everyone?”

“Only to people he thinks he has a chance with.”

“Have you and he ever...”

Beverly choked on her cigarette smoke, fighting back laughter at the same time, “you must be joking. I love Richie but he’s like my brother,” for some reason, Eddie didn’t look reassured. Bev stubbed out her cigarette and put a hand on his shoulder, “don’t get me wrong though. He’s not a slut or anything. He talks a big game but he’s such a good boyfriend. I’ve seen him in relationships. They never treat him right. Ex-girlfriend: fucked her boss. First boyfriend? Dumped Rich because he was bi and wanted him to ‘pick a side’.”

“That’s awful,” Eddie said and Bev nodded in agreement.

“He’s used to it, poor thing.”

They chatted for what felt like ages until Richie joined them again, handing Eddie a glass of sweet tasting and disgustingly strong fruit punch. He made a quip about Richie wanting to get him drunk to which he responded that yes, he did. Eddie wanted to say it put him off slightly but he just looked Richie dead in the eye and downed his glass of punch, raising a challenging eyebrow. The speed at which Richie went to fetch him another glass was utterly comical.

* * *

Almost an hour passed and Eddie was having the time of his life. That probably had something to do with the fact that he was drunk. Completely and utterly wasted thanks to the punch Richie kept supplying him with. He had hoped to dance with his crush but as soon as his arms found themselves around Eddie’s waist, he was a dead weight. He managed to half-carry, half-drag Eddie into his bedroom and set him on the bed; he’d dreamed of having Eddie in his bedroom since they’d first met just under different circumstances.

“Not very good with your drinks, are you, Eds?” Richie said, smoothing Eddie’s hair out of his eyes. He had a dreamy look on his face and was mumbling either to himself or to Richie, he wasn’t entirely sure.

“You’re so beautiful. When I first saw you...you took my breath away.”

“You yelled at me,” Richie said fondly, setting about taking Eddie’s shoes off since it was clear he wasn’t moving from that spot until morning, “it was a hell of a turn on, Eds. You really know how to get a man going.”

“Staywivmerich...” Eddie mumbled, his face mashed into Richie’s pillow. Richie smiled, pressing a kiss to Eddie’s cheek.

“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere, moron.”

Eddie grinned lazily, his eyes closing as he fell asleep. Richie watched him for a moment, gazing in wonder at how handsome and peaceful he looked. He tiptoed out of the bedroom, ready to dismiss the rest of his guests only to find Bev had done it for him.

“How’s he doing?” She asked, 

“He’s sleeping. He’ll be fine. I’m just getting him some water.”

“Rich,” he paused filling Eddie’s glass, turning to glance questioningly over his shoulder at Bev, “he’s a good guy...” he nodded, smiling brightly as he passed her with a fresh glass of water, “did you really jerk it to an air purifier?”

Richie paused at his bedroom door, making a mental note to either kill Eddie or his friend Ben, “fuck off, Marsh.”

* * *

Eddie woke up with a splitting headache, incredibly dry throat and a strong pair of arms wrapped around him. He groaned, rubbing his eyes and glancing over shoulder; Richie was pressed against his back, holding him firmly in place. Eddie’s eyes widened, something his throbbing head protested against strongly.

“Shit...”

“There’s a glass of water on the side,” Richie mumbled, rolling away from Eddie to yawn and stretch. The other man mumbled a thank you and drank the water gratefully as Richie reached for his glasses. He sensed Eddie’s discomfort and quickly added, “we didn’t have sex, if that’s what you’re worried about. You asked me to stay with you.”

Eddie dropped back onto the pillow into relief, “oh. good. I mean, not good good but good like...I want to remember that.”

Richie nodded in understanding, unable to look away from Eddie; he looked so lovely first thing in the morning. His hair was messy and stuck up in all directions, his little nose scrunched up and his eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to the sunlight. Richie really wanted to kiss him. So he did. To his surprise, Eddie responded enthusiastically, pulling him closer by his t-shirt. As soon as Eddie shoved his tongue into his mouth, Richie pulled away, panting desperately.

“Dude, we gotta stop or I’m gonna embarrass myself...” he said breathlessly, fixing his glasses that had been knocked askew. Eddie chuckled, pushing himself up to a sitting position; he leaned against Richie’s shoulder, holding him close. Richie swallowed, glancing down at the man he was very likely in love with, “I suppose you want to go a date, huh?”

"That depends,” Eddie smirked, pressing a chaste kiss to Richie’s lips. He swore Eddie was trying kill him, “make me breakfast and I’ll think about it.”

Richie had never left his bed so fast.


End file.
